Francis marion rector



(No Model.)

I. M. 3501303. I COMBINED DUST PAN AND VENTILATOR. No. 554,557.

Patented Feb. I 18965 Y 5% ITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS MARION REOTOR, OF EDDYVILLE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND ERNEST S. RIGGS, OF SAME PLACE.

COMBINED DUST-PAN AND VENTILATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,537, dated February 11, 1896.

Application filed September 6 189 5. Serial No. 5 6 1,6 5 5.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LFRANoIs MARION REC- TOR, of Eddyville, in the county of Wapello and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Combination Dust-Pan and Ventilator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new combination dust-pan and ventilator which is simple and durable in construction, and used especially for ventilating a room or to form a dust-pan to receive the sweepings of the room.

The invention consists of a casing having a grate-top and adapted to receive and support a box, the bottom of which is formed of slats adapted to be opened and closed.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improvement with parts broken out. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the box on the line 4 at of Fig.2.

The improvement is provided with a casing A, set in an opening B in the floor or wall of a building, and the upper end of this casing is formed with a flange A for conveniently supporting the casing in the floor, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 2. The top of the casing is flush with the floor and is covered by a grating 0, set on shoulders A inside of the casing, the said grating being removable to get at the contents of the casing, as hereinafter more fully described. The grating C is normally locked in place by a suitable spring-catch D, but other means may be employed.

The lower end of the casing A is provided with an annular inwardly-extending flange A forming a seat for a box F, provided with a handle G for conveniently removing or lifting the said box out of the casing whenever the grating O is removed. The bottom of the (No model.)

box F is formed by a series of slats H, pivoted at their outer ends at H in the sides of the box F, and on one end of each slat H is formed an upwardly-extending lug H and the several lugs of the slats are pivotally connected with each other by a link I. This link is provided with a projection I, adapted to be taken hold of by the operator to open or close the slats H at the time the box F is removed from the casing A, but the said projection I may also be engaged by a lug'J' at the time the box F is within the casing A.

The lug J is attached to a bar J, fitted to slide on one side of the casing A, the said bar being for this purpose provided with a longitudinal slot J engaged by screws J screwing in the side of the casing A, as shown in Fig. 3. The lug J extends a sufficient distance upwardly through a slot in the grating C, so that the operator can take hold of the said lug and move the bar J forward or backward to open or close the slats H whenever desired. The bar J may also be moved from the cellar, and for this purpose the ends of the bar are connected with chains K, extending over pulleys L on the outside of the easing A into the cellar.

Now it will be seen that when it is desired to sweep a room the grating O is removed from the casing A and the slats H are moved into a closed position, as shown in Fig. 4. The sweepings of the room are now swept into this box, and after all the sweepings are thus accumulated in the box the latter can be removed by taking hold of the handle G and dumping the sweepings into an ash-barrel or other receptacle. If desired, the sweepings can be emptied into a receptacle held in the lower open end of the casing A, the operator then pulling the chains K to move the slats H into an open position, so that the sweepings fall between the slats into the receptacle held below.

If desired to ventilate the room, the operator shifts the projection or lug J, so as to cause an opening of the slats H, to permit air to pass through the device so as to ventilate the room. 1

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentfor the said casing, a box relnovably held in the said casing, and provided with a bottom made of slats, and means, substantially as described, for opening and closing the said slats, as set forth.

FRANCIS MARION RECTOR.

\Vitnesses JACOB KUSSART, Jr., FRED P. ELLIOTT. 

